Remedial Learners in a Community College Setting Contribute to Their Own Academic Success: Identifying Effective Teaching and Learning Strategies, Delivery Methods and Instructional Technologies for Remedial Learners

Bollash, Mary C.

ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Capella University

The purpose of this research was to expand on previous research surrounding remedial education at the college level. This research was conducted in four phases and identified common traits for a population of remedial learners and then determined how these common elements, when implemented, positively impacted the academic success for learners in a remedial English course in a community college environment. The voice of the population of the unprepared and underprepared learners was reflected through the identification, implementation of, and evaluation of the common strategies and methods which work best for them. Phase 1 identified learning preferences and learning styles that are representative of this population. For example, most of those surveyed prefer active learning, and are visual and sequential learners. Most struggle with basic elements to succeed in school such as attitude, motivation, and time management. The second phase applied those identified learning preferences and learning styles to a section of the developmental English course. The third and fourth phases were conducted and determined that the application of the learning styles and learning preferences to the course made a difference in the students' academic success and experience. Phases 3 and 4 were conducted with a mixed methods approach, utilizing a case study which featured a concurrent transformative strategy with an equal emphasis on the quantitative data and the qualitative data (Creswell, J.W., (2009). "Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, 2 approaches." Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.). This research is intended to make a positive difference for students who have faced academic challenges in the past, those for whom graduating from a community college may be a stretch goal. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]